Method of making and filling bags.



No. 693,820. A. Lanes,

METHOD OF MAKING AND FILLING BAGS.

(A union filed. m 11, 1901.

(No Model.)

Patdntod Feb. I8, I902.

Tnz nonms 'wzrzns 00., PHoTmnna, WASHINW. u. c,

' To all whom it may concern.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADELMER M. BATES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

METHOD OF MAKING AND FILLING BAGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 693,820, dated February 18, 1902.

Application filed May 11, 1901- Be it known that I, ADELMER M. BATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State 'of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Methods of Making and Filling Bags, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new method of making and filling bags with granular, powdery, or other similar substances.

Heretoforebags have commonly been made as individuals and shippedintheir comparatively complete or finished condition from the bag-factory to the filling-factory, and heretofore such bags have commonly been filled as individuals, each being separately filled and separately closed to retain the material within the bag. These several operations or processes have been carried out either by hand or by machinery. In the case of valve-bags the final step-that of sewing the bagis not performed, because it is unnecessary. In all work where the effort is concentrated upon a single individual, even though it be machinework, and particularly in all such processes of making and filling bags Where the effort is concentrated upon the individual bag, either for the purpose of making it or later for the purpose of filling it, it is clear that there is a great waste of time and energy and also a waste of material. The waste of material can happen in many waysas, for example,

by the loss of material necessary to form the bag-blanks of a certain size and the further loss of material involved inleaving a considerable quantity of projecting cloth at the point where it is to be sewed or the flaps brought together after the filling of the bag.

There are many other disadvantages in the individual treatment of bags and the processes of making and filling, and it is to avoid these that my invention is intended.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated in a diagrammatic manner the process or method which Iemploy. It will of course be understood that these several processes or steps can be carried out by machinery or by hand and that some of them may be omitted and others varied, as occasion may require.

Figure 1 is intended to illustrate in a diagrammatic manner means for taking the several steps, beginning with the bagging material in the roll and ending with the formation Serial No. 59,751. (No model.)

tion of the funnel near the mouth thereof.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan View of a rotary device carrying a series of filling-tubes and showing a sewing-machine.

Like parts are indicated by the same letter in all the figures.

A is a roll suitably supported and carrying a quantity of bagging material B. This bagging material is drawn forward in any desired manner by mechanism not here shown, or of course it could be done by hand.

O O are printing-rolls, between which the bagging material in its original form is marked with any desired figures, letters, or design. D D are drying-rolls, between which the material then passes for the purpose of drying the ink used in printing. The material then passes forward into the folding-rolls E E, which gather the two sides of the material together and fold one-quarter of the width of the material over toward the middle, thus making the material of the bag one-half the width of the original material and double, with the edges lying close to each other along the middle of the roll. The material then passes forward under the sewing-machineF, preferably provided with two needles, so as to form two seams or lines of stitching G G near the edges and middle of the strip of bagging material.

H is a cutter which severs the strip of bagging material longitudinallyj ust between the two seams, so as to form the two tubes of bagging material J J. K is a cutter adapted to operate intermittently, so as to out these tubes into any desired length.

It will be quite evident that the operations so far described may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention. Thus the drying-rollsmay not be needed or they may be difierently positioned. The same is true of the printing-rolls and the position of the printing may be varied, for the tubes may be used either as they appear after the operation described or they may be turned inside out before being'used, so as to bring the flaps inside the bag. Thus it will be seen that the position of the printed matter on the bagging material must vary according to the manner in which such tubes of bagging maof what I will call the bag-tubes. Fig. 2 is an terial are to be employed. All these opera- 1 tions may be performed by hand, and the bag after printing may be allowed to dry without any special means of drying the same, or ink which dries very promptly may be employed. The essential thing to be sought after in the processes so far described is the production of a series of long tubes of bagging material of the proper cross-section to make the desired bags and to produce these from the rolls of bagging material previously made or cut to the proper Width and of any desired or convenient length. The end of each of these tubes is now sewed across, as indicated at L L, and, as previously stated, the tubes may now beturned inside out, if desired. In either condition the tubes are now ready for filling. This can be done through any desired tube, funnel, or other device. I have shown at M such a funnel, though I do not consider it necessary to use any such funnel as I have employed, and the one shown is to be taken as merely diagrammatic. A length of the tubing J is now threaded upon such funnel, the lower section being drawn down below the end of the funnel to form the individual bag-piece, (indicated at N.) The lower end of this bag may, if desired, rest upon the table or support 0 oron a carrier-belt. A suitable quantity of the material to be bagged is supplied from a hopper measuring or weighing device (not here shown) and is discharged into the funnel M, whence it passes down through the tube into the lower part N, and, if desired, any kind of shaking or packing devices can be associated therewith to insure the free passage of the material down out of the funnel into the lower tube of bagging material and also to insure the packing or settling of the material in such lower end of the tube. It will be understood, of course, that in practical operation while all of these processes up to the point indicated could be performed by hand it would be better to have a series of such filling-funnels in motionas, for example, they might travel about a circle, the bags being filled as they proceed. There will in any machine for conducting these operations be one or more sewing-machines, and one such I have shown in part diagrammatically. P is the standard or body, and R the arm over which the lower end of the bag would pass. S S are the two needles, which form two rows of stitching through the bagging material between the top of the material deposited in the bag N and the bottom of the funnel above. These two rows of stitching form, respectively, the top or finishing stitching of the bag N and the bottom of the next bag thereafter to be filled and finished. Of course such a sewingmachine would be accompanied by a suitable means for forcing the two sides of the bagging material together at the proper point to make the lower bag just large enough. When this operation is completed, the machine is withdrawn or the bag moves onward and is then out at the point T by any suitable cutting knife-as, for example, a roller, like the rolling-knife G, which can be placed in the path. Of course it is evident that this stitching could be done by hand, as also the cutting; but it would naturally be accepted as best to perform all of these processes by suitably-designed machinery. I have not attempted to show here any machinery for the purpose, because the particular machines which I desire to use are about to be made the subjectmatter of other patent applications soon to be filed. "When the lower bag has been out oif, it drops away as a complete finished bag sewed on one side and both ends, with the seams on one side and one end turned inwardly, if desired, or with all three exposed. I have spoken of sewing the bag; but of course it could be tied in like manner, or, in other words, any double closure at the point indicated would answer the purpose, it only being necessary to close the lower bag and fasten the bottom of the upper bag. The succeeding bags formed of course will have in any case only the seam on the side turned in, as there is no opportunity to turn in the bottom seam except as to the first bag of each tube. The sewing of this bottom seam can be done in connection with the same apparatus which sews the other crossseams, and the tubes need not be made of any length shorter than that of the entire bolt or roll of cloth from which they are formed. In such case the funnel must be small enough and the filling-tube connected with it of sufficiently small diameter to permit the tube of bagging material to be threaded back loosely, and therefore in great length, upon the comparatively short filling-tube.

Broadly speaking, my improved method or process ofmaking and filling bags consists in forming from the roll of material, preferably by automatic machinery, a series of bag-tubes of bagging material, then closing one. end of one of such tubes, then supplying the material in suitable quantities intermittently through the tube to the closed end thereof, then closing the tube above the material therein to form the first bag and'closing the tube still higher up to form the bottom of the second bag, and then severing the two bags and proceeding until the entire tube of bagging material has been formed into a series of substantially uniform filled and closed bags. It might be possible in machinery devised for this purpose to employ means for gripping the cloth of the bagging material between the two bags, then severing it, and then performing the stitching or closing process. The natural method to employ is by automatic machinery to first print the bagging material, then told it so as to form open tubes, then stitch it so as to form closed tubes, then cut it to form separate closed tubes, then turn the tubes inside out, if this is desired, then cut them to suitable lengths, if this is desired, then sew up one end of each tube,

IIO

then pour in the material through the tube untila suitable charge for one bag has been received in the filled end of the tube, then collapse the two sides of the tube together just above such charge, then simultaneously sew through the tube by two seams, one to close the top of the first bag and the other to close the bottom of the next bag, then'cut the goods between the two seams, discharge the first bag, pull down the tube a suitable length, supply a charge for the second bag, and proceed in a similar manner until such tube has been completely worked into filled and closed bags of the proper size and shape.

I claim-- 1. The method of producing a filled bag-like package of powdery or granular substance, which consists in forming bagging material into a long tube of the proper cross-section, closing one end thereof, filling a proper charge of material into the closed end of the tube, and then sewing the tube above such charge and severing the tube above such seam.

2. The method of producing a filled bag-like package of powdery or granular substance, which consists in forming bagging material into a long tube of the proper cross-section by folding the material on itself and stitching the two folded portions together, closing one end of the tube, filling a proper charge of material into the closed end of the tube, and then closing the tube above such charge and severing the tube above such closure.

3. The method of producinga filled bag-like package of powdery or granular substance, which consists in forming bagging material into long tubes of the proper cross-section by folding the two edges toward the middle, then sewing the folded portions together, then cutting them apart to form two tubes of bagging material, then closing one end of one of such tubes, then fillinga proper charge of material into the closed end of the tube, and then closing the tube above such charge and severing the tube above such closure. 7

4:. The method of producinga filled bag-like package of powdery or granular substance, which consists in forming bagging material into long tubes of the proper cross-section by folding the two edges of the strip of bagging material together at the middle of such strip of bagging material, sewing the two edges down upon the material and severing the material between the two edges by a single operation to form the two tubes ofbagging material, closing one end of one of such tubes, then filling a proper charge of material into the closed end of the tube, and then closing the tube above such charge and severing the tube above such closure.

5. The method of producing a filled bag-like package of powdery or granular substance, which consists in forming bagging material into a long tube of the proper cross-section, closing one end thereof, filling a proper charge of material into the closed end of the tube, then stitching the tube at two separated points above such charge of material, one closure to form the top closure of one bag, the other closure to form the bottom closure of the next bag.

6. The method of producing a filled bag-like package of powdery or granular substance, which consists in forming bagging material into a long tube of the proper cross-section, closing one end thereof, filling a proper charge of material into the closed end of the tube, then closing the tube at two separated points above suchcharge of material, one closure to form the top closure of one bag, the other closure to form the bottom closure of the next bag, and severing the tube at a point between the said two closures.

7. The method of producing a filled bag-like package of powdery'or granular substance, which consists in forming bagging material into a long tube of the proper cross-section, closing one end thereof, filling a proper charge of material into the closed end of the tube,

' then collapsing the sides of said tube together just above the charge, and then stitching the same at such collapsed part to form the top of the bag.

, 8. The method ofproducingafilled bag-like package of powdery or granular substance, which consists in forming bagging material into a long tube of the proper cross-section,- closing one end thereof, filling a proper charge of material into the closed end of the tube, then collapsing the sides of said tube together just above the charge, then stitching the same at such collapsed part to. form the top of the bag, and simultaneously stitching the tube at the point of collapsing, but above the other closure to form the bottom of the next bag.

9. The method of producing a filled bag-like package of powdery or granular substance, which consists in forming bagging material into a long tube of the proper cross-section,

closing one end thereof, filling a proper charge of material into the closed end of the tube, then collapsing the sides of said tube together just above the charge, then stitching the same at such collapsed part to form the top of the bag, and simultaneously stitching the tube at the point of collapsing, but above the other closure to form the bottom of the next bag,

'baggin g material into a long tube of the proper cross-section, closing one end thereof, filling a proper charge of material into the closed end ofthe tube, and then stitching the tube above such charge and severing the tube above such closure.

ADELMER M. BATES.

Witnesses:

HOMER L. KRAFT, FANNY B. FAY. 

